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Coalition Forces in Iraq Detain Five Suspected al-Qaida Terrorists

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2008 – Coalition forces in Iraq detained five suspected al-Qaida terrorists during operations in Mosul and the Tigris River Valley today, military officials said.

In Mosul, coalition forces detained three suspects while pursuing al-Qaida operatives responsible for attacks on security forces. Coalition forces found weapons and grenades, which they safely disabled.

North of Baghdad, coalition forces in Samarra detained two suspects while targeting al-Qaida in Iraq members who facilitate the movement of foreign terrorists into the country.

Yesterday, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers seized weapons during operations throughout Baghdad. U.S. soldiers confiscated two roadside bombs designed to pierce armor-hulled vehicles in the New Baghdad district. Iraq soldiers seized two 81 mm mortar rounds and four propane storage tanks in the city’s West Rashid district.

Military officials in Baghdad also provided details of several July 12 operations:

Iraqi special weapons and tactics teams detained two suspected members of Iranian-backed “special groups” in separate operations in central Iraq.

In Hillah, Iraqi SWAT personnel captured a suspected special groups member linked to weapons smuggling and attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces. The detainee also is linked to a June attack on the Hillah U.S. Regional Embassy Office.

In Kut, Iraqi SWAT officers detained a suspected special groups leader on charges of terrorism. The suspect is said to be a member of a weapons-smuggling cell known for storing and distributing armor-piercing bombs, and he also is linked to attacks on U.S. and Iraqi security forces.

Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers found two vehicle bombs and detained six suspects during an operation east of Balad.

U.S. soldiers detained three terrorist suspects in eastern Baghdad. One of the detainees is a suspected special groups member linked to kidnappings, murder and extortion of local Iraqis, as well as roadside-bomb attacks against U.S. soldiers.

U.S. soldiers seized two weapons caches in Baghdad. After being tipped off by members of the local “Sons of Iraq” citizen security group, U.S. soldiers confiscated a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher, homemade explosives, bomb-making materials, and a cell phone in Baghdad’s East Rashid sector. Later, U.S. soldiers found an armor-piercing bomb in an abandoned house in West Rashid.